WELCOME TO COMMISSIONER ; RICHARDS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 59, 7 September 1914, Page 9

WELCOME TO COMMISSIONER ; RICHARDS

♦ Salvationists and friends of the Salvation Army gathered in large numbers at the Vivian-street citadel yesterday, when welcome home meetings to Commanded Richards on his return from the London Congress were held. Renewed inspiration for the conflict was the dominant note of all the meetings. At the morning meeting the Commissioner, who was accompanied by Mrs. Richards, was heartily welcomed by Lieut.-Colonel Powley (the Chief Secretary), who told him that during his absence in the Old Land the officers, soldiers, bandsmen, and locals had thrown themselves with wholesouled, devotion into the work of the Army, while the wives of those officers who had accompanied the Commissioner to England had manfully kept the flag flying at the various corps. The return of the Commissioner would lead to a redoubling ,of the entire Army's efforts. The Commissioner, in the course of a, characteristically happy reply, expressed his deep sense of obligation to the Chief Secretary for the way in which he had discharged his many responsible duties during the absence of himself and over foity officers in England. It was a great pleasure to him to be once more among tho troops, and he was satisfied they intended to prosecute the campaign with renewed energy. In the afternoon, the Commissioner gave an informative address, with many sparkling anecdotes, of his journey to the Congress, all the gatherings of which, he said., flashed like a revelation upon the Britisli mind. In the evening meeting, Mrs. Colouel Powley took part, and for over half an hour Commissioner Richardi held the undivided attention of a great meeting with a trenchant address on tho words "And the books will be opened."